Manchester City sign Mahrez in club-record deal

Manchester City have completed the signing of attacking midfielder Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City, the clubs announced on Tuesday.

Mahrez, 27, moved for a fee of £60 million — a club record for Man City — after undergoing a medical and will wear the No. 26 shirt. City have long been in pursuit of Mahrez, having seen a cash-plus-player offer of £65m for the 27-year-old rejected in January, with Leicester demanding £80m to let him go in the middle of the season.

The Algeria international, one of Leicester’s title-winning heroes from the 2015-16 season, handed in a transfer request in January and had a 10-day absence from the club before returning to training with them on Feb. 9. He then came on as a substitute the next day, having missed the previous two games, as Leicester were beaten 5-1 away by Pep Guardiola’s City, and featured in every match for the Foxes for the rest of the season.

“Riyad is a hugely talented player. He beats defenders and creates space,” City director of football Txiki Begiristain said. “Over the past few years, he has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most exciting players.”

Mahrez, who was named PFA Player of the Year in 2015-16 when Leicester were crowned Premier League champions, has played at the King Power Stadium since January 2014, scoring 42 goals in 158 appearances across all competitions. He had been under contract for two more seasons until the summer of 2020.

“I’ve always had the same goal to play at the highest level,” Mahrez said in quotes released by the club. “I think I’ve been playing at a high level for three years now and signing for Manchester City is a big step for me but I am very happy and now I just have to perform and help the team. I am sure I can play at this level.”